


Unknown Legend

by FridaysChild



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cinderella - Freeform, LGBTQ, fairy tale, modern fairy tale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-27
Updated: 2012-02-26
Packaged: 2017-10-31 19:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/347533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FridaysChild/pseuds/FridaysChild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern Cinderella.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unknown Legend

**Author's Note:**

> Incomplete, a rewrite of something I wrote a long time ago that desperately needed it. Decided to get a beginning to go with a 60_minute_fics challenge.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Primrose, a guy named Andy, another guy named Devyn – that's me – and some other people, too.

Okay, stay with me here. I'm not used to telling fairy tales. Not really even used to believing in them. I'm not a prince, I'm just a guy who fell in love, but try telling that to Cinderella. 

Maybe I'd better start at the beginning. I came to Montgomery Academy when I was seventeen. The school was, of course, a school. But it was also a front for people like me who have extraordinary abilities. It gave us a place to gather, to meet. There aren't many of us in the world, muchless the US, and most of us are found by alums with psychic powers and sent to the school.

Picture me, this kid just off the bus from bumfuck nowhere in middle America. Montgomery's in Virginia, on this stately old campus that just screams “money!” Money's not exactly a problem when you can predict the stock market and other investments, I guess. Montgomery is run by this big old family, the Scotts. Not all extra-normal powers are genetic, but theirs are, though it manifests among the kids in different ways. The family tends towards girls (maybe something to do with the Y chromosome not carrying the powers as reliably). The current headmistress has a son my age – Andreas Leo Gwynne Tibalt Taylor-Scott, ick, pretentious much? - and four younger daughters. Andy is expected to take over the school some day. Not that I'd read the brochure on the way in five times.

I knew what was up with the scholarship, that it was because I had powers. One of the Scotts, Jessie, a cousin, is a dreamwalker, but she can only communicate with other people who have powers. She'd wandered into my dreams one night and the rest is history. I'd said yes because I'd always had these abilities that I didn't know much about and it's scary trying to navigate these things alone, but I was definitely a fish out of water on the campus. I was sure I wasn't the only one but that didn't stop it from being terrifying.

Jessie met me at the bus stop. She hugged me like we were old friends, and I pretty much stood there like a tree. Not a hugger. Didn't bother her, and she dragged me across the parking lot to a paved walkway. “So I brought your class schedule, your ID- also your key into the dorms-” she handed me a folder, trading for one of my duffels. It was the beginning of September and a new year, so luckily I wasn't jumping into the middle of things. “There's a map in there, too.”

It was beautiful – the buildings were all old stonework, the grounds were green with lots of trees and grass. “The caf is at the north end of the quad,” Jessie explained. “Classroom buildings on either side. Girls' dorms are set to the east side of campus, boys are on the west. Figured you'd prefer a single. You'll be in Marshall, it's the furthest out and fairly small.” It seemed like a long walk to the building already. “There are rental bikes if you want, or some people skateboard or scooter or whatever. Just nothing motorized is allowed.” 

We reached a small building to her chatter; she swiped her ID in the door and opened it. “I'm family, so my ID gets me in anywhere, even the boys' dorms. It's universal. Though I'm sure I'd get in trouble if I was caught using it for...well, you know. This actually used to be the headmistress's house, but then they kept having kids and they build a bigger one in the early 1900s and this was converted. There's a kitchen in there.” We were standing in a family room with a fireplace, couches, tables, and large bookshelves with very serious-looking books on them. They were mostly rather dusty looking, and probably hadn't been touched in awhile. A piano sat in the corner and I smiled. I played several instruments but had never owned a piano – we didn't have the room or the money, and I'd learned here and there at school, friends' houses- anywhere that had one I could pound on. 

“So your room's upstairs. You're in number 2-A. There's four other rooms on that floor plus a bath. Master bedroom is Andy's, although he stays with his mother in the headmistress's house a lot. It's on the other side of campus. He's out late a lot doing...” she wiggled her fingers. “You know.” Apparently this meant super powers to Jessie. “Helps take care of the campus. So if he's closer over there...”

“What are his powers?” I started to ask curiously. 

Jessie laughed. “Rule of etiquette, don't ask that of anyone but the holder. Some people like to keep theirs private, or not too public, for various reasons.” 

I nodded. “I see.” I unlocked the door to my room with my ID. 

“I'll leave you to unpack. Do you need shown to the caf for dinner tonight?” 

I shook my head. “I'm decent with a map.” And I needed some time to myself, to acclimate just a little before I had to deal with bunches of people I didn't know and who would mostly know each other.

“All right. See you later.”

I had the feeling that Jessie might have put me in one of the nicer dorms, or else they were all crazy upscale. The furniture was super sturdy and old fashioned, like maybe most of it had been there since the school was built. There was a desk, wardrobe and bed along with a large window. I only had two duffels and started pulling out my clothes to put away; there were uniforms already hanging up.

Ick. 

I fingered my hair, dyed a violent burgundy, and hoped no one would say anything about it, or my facial piercings – labret and ear. I was quite fond of all of them.

I'd been noticing the quiet since I arrived – physical quiet, as the numerous trees and spacious campus dampened sound – but also psychic quiet. My ability was to talk to anything mechanical, computers in particular. Not that they'd listen to me, but I could talk to them. I could hear the quiet hum from a few rooms of what “felt” like smaller laptops and netbooks, and a cluster halfway across campus where there was probably a computer lab. All of the classrooms had tech, too. Further out was the parking lot. Cars are some of the noisier machines, and with nothing on campus bigger than the landscapers' golf carts, it felt really nice. Hell, I'd lived in a trailer – my entire house used to talk to me. Incessantly. 

I closed my eyes and checked the building I was in. A couple of cell phones, though I suspected most or all residents had one and it was just that everyone was out right now. One landline downstairs. The large grandfather clock in the living room. A microwave, an oven. A TV that was currently complaining that it didn't get cable and nothing was on the basic channels. Several small computers. One e-reader. A couple other items I couldn't identify offhand.


End file.
